>> only on al jazeera america. ♪ the east coast is the latest part of the country hit by a nasty winter storm, snow and freezing rainfall from washington to philadelphia adding to nationwide travel troubles. after weeks of huge antigovernment protests across thailand the prime minister dissolves parliament and calls for new elections. [chanting] a day of prayer in south africa for nelson mandela and leaders including president obama and three former u.s. presidents expected to attend tuesday's memorial service for the late south african president. >> and a crime was never committed and we stood by that.

>> reporter: the san antonio four speaking out, released after 16 years behind bars for a crime they have always maintained they did not commit. ♪ the deep freeze is on, wintry weather and cold temperatures reach the east coast. the weather is disrupting travel nationwide and made some sunday nfl games almost impossible to see. good morning and welcome to al jazeera america, i'm stephanie sy and the storm caused car pile ups in several states and accidents on the pennsylvania turnpike sunday involved almost 60 video as and this shows the long line of cars that came to a halt in morgan town, pennsylvania and we are tracking the storm. what is the latest? >> all of that snow and wind, it is still with us and we are going to continue to see it

taking its toll and creating very dangerous driving conditions over much of the country and if you booked a flight you might want to call ahead before you go out to the airport. the arctic blast entering the second week is causing misery across the country and staying warm is not easy when there are temperatures as low as 20 below 0 in some areas. >> i have on wool socks and two layers of pants. i have two layers of shirt and jackets and my big bears hat on. >> reporter: what is it 23 right now? that is just crazy and cold. >> here it comes. >> reporter: sheets of ice and white out conditions sent cars, buses and trucks sliding across the roads and resulting in collisions and miles of traffic jams. >> wow. the whole thing is shut down. >> reporter: interstate 94 in wisconsin was shut down after a massive pile up resulting in

dozens dead and injured. >> 7 semis and 30 plus vehicles. >> reporter: in texas an ice patch sent the driver of a pickup flipping over the guardrail and into icy waters and the driver was killed in the crash. those traveling by air. >> they are cancelling me today and i'm trying to see what i can do to get home. >> reporter: it grounded 3,000 flights and 500 in dallas where heavy snow and ice caused the roof to collapse. and in texas sheets of ice sounded like thunder as they came crashing down from the roof of the building. >> holy freakin moly. >> reporter: it blanketed pennsylvania, maryland and new jersey with snow falling at 1-3" per hour. >> oh, no. >> reporter: it did not stop fans from braving a half of a foot of snow as the eagles took on the lions and they watched

the ravens take on the vikings in zero visibility. they are racing to get the lights back on and thousands are living without power across the country and with the theft of new ice accumulations more outages could be on the way. all that and the official start of winter is still two weeks away. and winter of course still has the grip over much of the country. at least check airports reporting delays of deicing the planes and keep that in mind here and the northeast and the moisture will continue through the day. winds are pulling from the south and west and keeping the air a tad bit milder and instead of all the wintry precipitation we dealt with yesterday there is more in the way of rain today and new york city with the quick burst of snow it will get washed out before another round moves in and we have a number of advisories posted and travel plans along i-95 you will encounter slick spots and give yourself plenty of time and of

course make sure that you provide a little bit of extra space between you and the car ahead of you as well. across the great lakes we will see some light flakes of snow falling and as far as accumulation we will see more of that as we get in the day on tuesday, this is the timing of what we are dealing with today and through the morning and conditions will clear out and see a break in all the action and by tuesday we will be on the backside of the storm system, more moisture moves in with the cold air already if place and by tuesday morning snow moves right back into new york city and it looks like we will be in for the same conditions as we dealt with the last round and get the snow and freezing rain and plain rain before everything wraps up across the area. in the plains it's the dense fog causing problems in dallas, fort worth and it will cause icy spots on the roadways and take it easy on 35 and i-20 as well. this is the big picture of what we can expect in the day on

tuesday. more rain will move back in. notice the white shaded areas and looks like snow for new england. >> winter two weeks away and thank you. the prospect of new elections is now keeping protesters off the streets in thailand. police say someone 150,000 people marched through bangkok today and the prime minister dissolved parliament and called for a vote but yingluck shinawatra said she will run again. protest leaders say their goal is ousting her and scott has the latest from bangkok. >> reporter: they want more than a new election, they want the government rid of yingluck shinawatra and any kind of tax and regime influence as they say. this is something that is right through the last two weeks and any influence that the ruling party has because of the connection to the yingluck shinawatra the prime minister in exile and they got elections to

take place in the next five to six weeks the leader of the antigovernment union saying that is not enough and spoke before we came on air but will speak again on the stage behind me in the coming hours. this is a big rallying speech because this is the final day of this type, this phase if you will of this movement. it will be interesting to see how they transition after they spend the night and transition into more of a political fight and sounds like the protest leader says they have done this part of it and gone to the street and proven their point this way and getting the goal of the resignation of the prime minist minist minister yingluck shinawatra is the big question. >> reporter: since 2001 the pew thai party has won't every election and supporters live if the rural northern provinces and

democrats have not won since 1992 and ruling party survived even though the lead irwas ousted in 2006 and then he was convicted and lived in exile and his sister was prime minister in 2011 and won by a landslide and accused of buying the election and last month yingluck shinawatra tried to great amnesty to her brother and five people died in the protests. [chanting] voices rising against the government in, ukraine and want him to resign because he has strong ties with russia instead of the west and hundreds of thousands demonstrate in the snowy capitol a russian symbol is toppled and tim friend reports from kiev. >> the protests went into the night, ukraine celebrated the

toppling of the statute of lennon saying you are next. some are camped out more than two weeks and no intention of giving up now. outside the office protesters have been placing flowers on the barrier between themselves and the police. but this relatively peaceful standoff has turned ugly before and earlier they were building up the barricades. the fear is that the police will move in before an official deadline on tuesday to end the street protest and occupation of government buildings. people gathered in their thousands in independent square to call for the resignation of president yanakovich. >> taking a stand for you future and not me and others and the future depends on you and we must group together and do everything to win. >> reporter: riot police stood

by facing demonstrators who are furious about the failure to sign a trade deal with eu and turn to moscow to save the economy. >> translator: i want a new government that listens to the people and doesn't treat us like animals. >> translator: we are here to fight for our rights and our kids are brought up in a good country without corruption and where everything is fair. >> reporter: the crisis here is reaching a crucial moment and he believes he can survive with moscow's help but they are ready for a long fight to achieve aims and i'm tim friend with al jazeera. >> leaders lack constitutional power to oust the government before the presidential election in 2015. a riot breaks out in singapore's little india district after an

india national was struck and killed by a bus. crowds attached police and set cars on fire and dozens were injured and 27 people were arrested. it was singapore's first major riot in four decades. and the president of venezuela won half of the elections on sunday and held control in the oil city and the capitol caracas and inflation is 54% and power outages and shortages of necessities are widespread. world financial leaders says he must devalue the currency. there is a new player in the claims for air space over the east china sea and south korea is expanding air defense zone and the boundarys there overlap a zone by china and the move is raising tensions in the region.

>> reporter: the announcement may be about invisible lines in the air but extend over disputed areas of land and sea. this is what south korea calls yodo a rocky reef by the station and under the de facto control and they are claimed by beijing and seoul and south korea asserted rights in the air above. >> translator: the new korean air space defense identification zone has been modified to be in line with the country's flight information region which does not overlap with neighboring countries and includes air space over the waters. >> reporter: the move is two weeks after the surprise extension of the air defense zone encroaching on those of south korea and japan and extends deeper in the chinese one and also overlaps that of japan.

the government won't impose the rules and wants film to identify themselves until december 15 allowing for consultation with neighbors. >> translator: we believe this will not necessarily impact our relationships with china and with japan as we try to work for peace and cooperation in northeast asia. >> reporter: south korea's president discussed the plans with joe biden during his visit last week and they declared they are on the same page as seoul and china has an expanded south korea zone saying it would stay in communication with seoul. they want to extend the air defense zone and china has given it a chance to do that and leaves the china sea with three overlapping zones belonging to china, japan and south korea and they could have talks how to

manage the complex affairs and it could be what nobody wants, a conflict in an increasingly contested skies and harry faucet in seoul. >> this is the first time it was adjusted since it was set up by the u.s. during the korean war this 1951. a week of remembering nelson mandela starting with a national day of prayer. millions packed mosques and churches of all faiths to celebrate the country's first black president, vigils have been held out mandela's home since he died thursday. parliament will hold a special session today in cape town to honor him and they are remembering the man fondly known as mediva and hundreds will attend the service in johannesburg and moon and

british prime minister oland and oprah and bono will go to the memorial and expected to draw 80,000 people and we have more on mandela's legacy from joe johannesburg. >> he lived in a rented room north of johannesburg but remembers what he had done for her life. >> he is our family and because now i'm getting pension. i have increase of pension through that man. >> reporter: in the first years of democracy with mandela as president a new world beconed even in the darkest township of life and they watched as a government-funded heritage center was built to benefit the

community and the famous former resident. at the entrance to the visitor center they are welcomed in 11 official language of south africa that won freedom in 1994 and yet to deliver significant economic benefits to millions of its citizens. the heritage center was never opened and heritage corner is nothing more than a drinking hole. and daughter carroll blames it all on corruption. >> it's no longer for making this for the nation and no longer making it better for us people and the use as well because i can tell you now i don't have an exact number but i can tell you now the youth unemployment is bad. >> reporter: there is no exact figure and estimates of unemployment of the youth run as high as 50%.

>> that is why people go to drugs they smoke and break into people's house and steal our laundry and that is why people do that because they are promised something else and something else, nothing was delivered. and we had hoped that because when he was around he would advise, he was an advisor to us now and they were disappointed unless somebody stepped up and did somebody about it. >> reporter: mandela is gone and taking with it the hopes of some residents of the township and leaving behind a faded mark on a not very well warned tourist map. >> reporter: forces in the forgotten crisis and restoring order in the central republic by

means necessary and congress is heading back to work and we will focus on issues they are facing including a big budget deal and taking you live now to a memorial in south africa outside the home where nelson mandela died. [chanting] getting the high quality, original, in-depth reporting al jazeera america is known for. >> to find out more about al jazeera america go to aljazeera.com

power of the people until we restore our

♪ good morning and welcome back to al jazeera america, i'm stephanie sy, just ahead why a deal to keep american forces in afghanistan is having a huge impact on that country's economy and first let's look at what temperatures we will see across the nation today and metrologist ebony is back. >> another cold one for much of the country and the exception is down in florida where we are sitting at 76 degrees at this early hour but the rest of the u.s. will have to brace for the very cold temperatures as soon as you step outside here across the plains and upper midwest it feels like 30 below zero and a

cold start on bismarck and fargo and 30 below is the feel-like temperature and out and about make sure to layer up and the advisories are from the dakota and southward to inn nebraska and wind chill this morning and bundle up. temperatures across the northeast are cold and where we do have the switch over to rain it's a chilly rain at that. but we are starting to see our numbers rising above freezing and great news around new york and 35 degrees and we will make it in the 40s today. not quite into the 40s but close around philly and the colder air returns for tuesday. stephanie. >> reporter: thank you, france says it will start disarming fighters in the central african republic by force if necessary and it eased after a weekend of heavy gunfire and 400 people were killed between christian and muslim tighters and the interim president tells al jazeera he is struggling to

maintain control and says he could not stopped armed groups from operating in the country and france has 1600 groups in the colony and u.n. improved an increase to 6,000. another attack in iraq as violence escalates and a car bomb exploded outside of a cafe in the northeast region killing 11 people and explosions on sunday killed 39 and injured more than 120. most of those attacks happened on busy commercial streets. u.n. says 8,000 iraqis have been killed this year. drone strikes and taliban were the topics today during high-level meetings in pakistan and chuck hagel met with sharif and the army chief and this is the first since the tirade that killed bin laden in 2011 and he flew and met with troops but not

the president and hamid karzai is refusing to sign before the year's end. they are backing the afghan counterparts decision for the deal and karzai met in tehran sunday with rohani and calling for trade and security and they opposed the presence of troops in afghanistan, the only country asking karzai not to sign the security deal. the security agreement would secure billions of dollars afghanistan needs to boost economy but in limbo the currency is falling and as al jazeera jayne ferguson reports and says it's raising food among the reach of many. >> reporter: the money market in kobbel has done a great business and it poured in to the economy and afghans making money honestly or otherwise traded in foreign exchange and now it's

busier than ever because of increasing anxiety about the currency of the afghans. the president of afghanistan is refusing to sign a security pact with the u.s. that would mean some foreign forces remaining after 2014. but billions of dollars in aid would also remain, and the economy is expected to collapse without that. that delay is causing fear in the business community. >> translator: if it is not signed and people will be panicked and it will effect the economy of the country. people are running away and people are disappointment and business men are not investing and many dealers are worried because they cannot work confidently. >> reporter: as afghans panic and exchange their money for u.s. dollars the afghan is devalued and much of the food is imported and prices are going up. it's an ordinary market like this where regular people come to spend their hard-earned local

currency buying food and prices have gone up significantly in the past few days because they buy it in wholesale dollars and what they bring to the wholesalers don't buy as much food. the exchange rate here has never been so bad. in a few short weeks the price of his sacks of flour has risen 10% traders say and she just bought one. >> translator: the prices have become so high, before we could guy when it's cheaper price and now it's expensive and people are so poor they can't afford to buy anything. >> reporter: they worry about money markets and business investment and anxiety hangs over the country and they are worried simply about putting food on the table, jane ferguson, al jazeera, kabul

afghanistan. >> reporter: the white house says the pull out of american forces would jeopardize $8 billion a year, that is how much the u.s. and allies pledged to help the economy and pay for its army and police. let's get our first check on business news and may get hints when the federal reserve may ease the economic stimulus and they hit the speaking circuit and the jobs reports will pressure the fred to pull back on the bond-buying program but it has to be careful on how it pulls the trigger. >> few artificial dons all right in the course of recovery so if you look at one month's jobs picture and say things are great now, let's ease off of it you have the risk of plunging the nation back into recession and the fed doesn't want to do that. >> reporter: most economies say they think the fed will pull back the stimulus program early next year and they will meet again to discuss policy next

week. wall street goes back to work and the dow on friday and s&p bounced back and dow jones starting the day above the key 16,000 level. s&p 5 00's 1805. nasdaq 4062. overseas european markets are flat, in asia markets kicked off the week with solid gains after china had the largest trade surplus in nearly five years. the world's biggest airline spread its wings today, american airlines and u.s. airways are finishing the the merger and four carriers control four fifths of the travel market and the name u.s. airways will pass into history. time is running out on capitol hill hand congress has a big to-do list and can they do it in five days and cameras on commuter trains and the push for

effort after last week's deadly crash. after 16 years behind bars the and antonio four are enjoying their freedom and talk about being convicted of a crime they say they did not commit. >> i'm mark morgan and in week 14 of the nfl season shaun mccoy had a record setting day in the snow for if philadelphia eagles next in sports. >> reporter: the crowds gathering honoring the life and legacy of nelson mandela and this is live outside of his home where the country's first democratically-elected president passed away last week. out in segregated schools made

sure i knew my history as a young african american girl. they made me learn about martin luther king's march on washington and watch nelson mandela's acceptance speech when he first took the podium as president. >> so help me god. >> fast forward 17 years later. i'm an eager college senior. and it's no surprise i chose south africa as the place to go for my fellowship. when i got there, i started teaching kids in one of the country's poorest townships, kids all born the year that mandela was freed. they were, as we say in south >> this isn't a new channel, this is a watershed moment in media for america. >> this entire region is utterly devastated.

>> people our here are struggling. >> the fire jumped the highway we took earlier. >> your average viewer want's to actually understand how the health care law is going to help them or hurt them. >> they know they can get extremist bickering somewhere else. >> people say that we're revolutionary. our revolution is just going back to doing the best in journalism. >> this is the place to go watch high quality journalism, period. al jazeera america is growing and now more americans are getting the high quality, original, in-depth reporting al jazeera america is known for. >> to find out more about al jazeera america go to aljazeera.com ♪ welcome back to al jazeera america i'm stephanie sy and these are the top stories at this hour, a snow and ice storm that crippled parts of the

country made it to the northeast over the weekend and grounded 2500 flights nationwide including 1,000 in dallas alone. the storm also caused multiple car pile ups in several states. after weeks of antigovernment protests in thailand the prime minister dissolved the nation's parliament and new elections by february and not clear if yingluck shinawatra will be the choice to lead. south africa kicks off 8 days to nelson mandela and leaders like president obama and predecessors will go to a service on tuesday, and many took part in prayer on sunday. lawmakers are do back in washington on tuesday and facing pressing matter before they leave town for the holidays and a massive defense bill and farm bill including controversial food stamp cuts but the most significant issue is the budget, a deal would avoid a government

shut down like the one in october, more on the up coming week this congress is brian moore, brian good morning, a big week for lawmakers on capitol hill. >> it's a little bit of a replay of previous years, it's become a holiday tradition in washington playing beat the clock. congress is scrambling to get work done as most americans are getting ready to relax for the holidays and topping the agenda ending the budget bite that led to the government shut down. >> they are making progress and moving in the right direction and have not closed the deal. >> reporter: the fine print has been elusive. >> the key is not for a government shut down and keep spending caps in place and do not raise taxes when the economy is still weak. >> reporter: wrapping up a massive defensive spending bill and wrestling over the farm bill which includes controversial

cuts to food stamp and unemployment benefits. >> i support unemployment benefits for the 26 weeks they are paid for, extended beyond that you do a disservice to the workers. >> congress refuses to act it won't just hurt families already struggling, it will harm our economy. >> reporter: in washington a familiar theme lots to do and not a lot of time to do it. and the legislative calendar is shorter because some members of congress are going to south africa for nelson mandela's funeral. >> thank you. and joining us now to discuss the issues surrounding the budget deal is the aid to hw bush and joins us from philadelphia and it's always great to see you and thanks for being with us. >> great to be with you. >> reporter: and house budget paul ryan are finalizing details of a deal to presents to congress this week, does this look like it will get past both houses?

i know we don't know the details yet. >> it is to watch closely and the clock is ticking and i don't know if it will get done in time but there is a chance they can get it done in time to prevent disaster which is what we wants to do. >> reporter: democrats are pub pushing for the bill involving 1.3 million americans, on saturday president obama had this to say about the benefits, have a listen, joe. >> now that economic lifeline is in jeopardy. all because republicans in this congress, which is on track to the most unproductive in history have so far refused to extend it. >> reporter: why do republicans want to see the emergency benefits end? >> well, i think republicans like democrats support the idea of making sure that people who lost their jobs have some kind of a fallback, but the question becomes how long. if you extend the unemployment benefits that is longer than currently right now, they are

scheduled to expire i think on december 28, part of the challenge you have is weakening the economy and why i say that is because right now if you look at the labor force participation rate, the people looking for work, that has diminished over the last five years and it was 63% so fewer people working. >> right, you are saying that because of the unemployment benefits and yet. >> right. >> reporter: the economy has not reached the point any economist said it's easy for americans to find jobs and there is a valid argument on the other side that benefits are needed especially for the long-term unemployed. >> well of course we want to do something about long-term unemployment as well because that is 13.2%, a number that is way too high and the idea is to provide incentives for people to look for and find work so we can bring that number down and also increasing the number of people

looking for work in the labor force and it's a real challenge because you don't want anybody to hurt in the short term but we want to strengthen the economy and the economy is very fragile so the strength of the economy, let's not provide disincentives for people to go out and find work. >> reporter: how important is it that a deal gets done and given the approval rating fell after the budget shut down? >> it's important to get a deal done and republicans last fall when we had this challenge i think were hurt more than democrats by it. but i think for the most part republicans will work hard to get this done and get it done in time to avoid a government shut down or default in our debt. >> reporter: all right joe watkins former aid to president george hw bush and live from philadelphia thank you. they will end with victories and today is a two-week year-end session to tackle bills and

nominees and talking about patricia millet on the d.c. circuit of appeals and the first to come up since the filibuster rule was changed and five other nominations are before the senate including janet yellen to lead the federal reserve and jay johnson to head homeland security. one senator is looking to keep police from tapping her phones, last year cell phone carriers handed over phone records to authorities over 1.1 million times, the records revealed tax collar locations and other data use and massachusetts senator edward marky is protecting customers and drafting a bill that would require police to get a warrants before making those requests. operational improvements are in place at the site of last week's deadly derailment in new york city and two congressman are calling for safety standards to protect passengers and we are joined with erica with more.

>> reporter: mta up graded the signal system to warn train operators before they approach the sharp curve where it happened and the train was going over 80 miles per hour as it hit the turn where the speed limit is only 30 miles per hour and operators have reduced of the reduced speed limit and the train will break automatically if it is speeding inside the curve. in the same weekend funeral services were held for the youngest person killed in the metro north train derailment, two u.s. senators urge the federal government to adopt safety practices to prevent another deadly accident. >> five years ago the ntsb recommended that cameras be installed in our train cabs and both pointing inside and pointing outside. inside to see what the engineer was doing. outside to see if tracks and signals were in good shape.

>> reporter: both of their states, new york senator chuck shumer and richard bloomenthal wrote a letter saying to implement the cameras immediately and this comes after the fra already issued an emergency order on friday requiring metro north to overhaul the signal system as soon as possible and have extra controls on some routes with major speed changes. while the senators acknowledge that is a step in the right direction, they say it's still not enough. as it turns out this is not the first time there has been a call for cameras on passenger trains. the national transportation safety board suggested the very same safety precaution after a 2008 collision in california. >> 25 people died in that crash and ntsb recommended as a result that cameras and recorders be installed on every train in the

country to deter the kind of fatigue and days that produce that crash. >> reporter: the engineer of the new york city train william rockefeller reportedly acknowledged he was in a daze as the train approached a curve in the bronx at triple speed limit and off the rails and killed four and injured dozens more and nta suspended rockefeller without pay and it will not bring back the four killed in the train wreck they hope they will prevent more families from losing a loved one in this tragic way. >> six months have produced five tragic incidents including four fatalities and the time for change is now. >> reporter: so far no comment from the fra or mta and leaders have concern about engineer privacy when cameras have come up in the past and procedures

continue tomorrow morning when conductors will stand alongside operators in the cabs to talk about speed limits on certain routes that have potentially dangerous curves. >> we talked about the system that automatically has brakes over the limit is nta still on track to implement that system? >> reporter: yes, they have the order of december 2015 and there is more time to implement it and that is called positive train control and the system that can potentially help prevent derailments like we saw last week. >> thank you. a pair of newly wednesdays are facing homicide charged saying they lured people in a thrill killing and wanted to bound by killing someone together and posted an ad seeking companionship and stabbed a man 20 times.

the former mayor of san diego and he resigned in august after several women accused him of sexual harassment and plead guilty to misdemeanor charges and he has three months of home confinement and three years probation. a brazil soccer matched was stopped for more than an hour sunday after fans started fighting in the stands. fans punched and kicks one another until police arrived. police fired rubber bullets and tear gas and a man was air-lifted from the soccer field and they replaced guards so the match can resume and there is fighting across the country raising concerns ahead of the 2014 world cup and mark morgan is here with sports and week 14 in the nfl. >> the last few weeks it should get interesting and teams going for play off position and several stellar match-ups in the

nfl but the main event is under the lights where the red hot panthers took on the saints and tied for the nfc 9-3 and the saints tough at home and drew breeze completed 30 of 42 passes for 314 and 4 tds and passed a milestone and the 5th quarterback in nfl history to pass for 50,000 yards and joining manning and elway and the saints exploded 21 in quarter two and never looked back and 31-13 win and new orleans 7-0 at home this season and saints and panthers will rematch next week in charlotte. the 49ers trying to spoil to lock up the nfc title and the first round of the seahawks and losing and that is them with the ball and finds luke wilson and

seahawks and capper nick and 16-14 and late in the game 76ers capped by the 22-yard goal by dawson and san francisco 19-17 ending the 7 game winning streak. eagles and lions in the snow, awful conditions but mccoy was a stud and acted like it was 70 and sunny and ran 217 yards on 29 carries and mccoy had touchdown of 57 and 40 yards in the message eagles scored 28 points and win 34-20 and john henry smith with more from philly. >> they defeated the lions 34-20 at lincoln field and eagles chip kellie didn't think the snow would start until after half time but we saw all game long he needs a new weather person and also it appeared the eagles team themselves did not believe the

game started until after half time and played sluggish and lions led at half time but the eagles came out and came out scoring on five straight possessions and the damage is eagles running back mccoy ran for a team record 217 yards and did it against defense that had not given up a rushing touchdown in 8 games. >> they are intimated and scared of their guys up front on detroit and thought the big guys on my team took a challenge and stepped up and all week talked about us running the ball and giving me different match-ups one on one and not only myself but i think more and more opportunities we will win. >> reporter: eagles go to 8-5 and they take a more commanding position in first place here in nfc and fall 7-6 where once it

seemed they had a clear path to a spot in the title now the chicago bears and green bay packers would be alive to take the title from the lions. from philadelphia, lincoln financial field john henry smith for al jazeera. >> this is the playoff picture seattle, new orleans and detroit lead with carolina and san francisco with wild cards and a few are on the playoff hunt including arizona and dallas and the cowboys play the bears in chicago tonight, if the cowboys win they are leader in nfc east because they have the tie breaker and the packers are alive 6-6 and 1 and a wrap for sports at this hour. mark thank you. an olympic gold metal won by jessie owen sells for a record $1.4 million. the highest price ever for a piece of olympic ic memorabilia

and it was auctioned and the penguin owner made the top bid and shatters the previous record of $865,000 last april for a silver cup given to the winner of the modern day olympic marathon in 1896. >> we come as a passage and we all go together and nobody will stay behind. >> reporter: a sit down with the san antonio four and they talk about living behind bars for 16 years for a crime they say they did not commit. ♪ and a joyful military flash mob, the holiday surprise from some of our men and women in uniform. and snow and ice replaced by rain this morning, i'm tracking where slippery roads will slow your morning commute. and looking life now at the new york city skyline, it's a big foggy this morning and it's 35 degrees.

♪ welcome back to al jazeera america, just ahead, four women

released from prison after spending 16 years behind bars, the sand antonio four talk about the crime they say never happened and we will look where the snow and rain may fall across the country and we have obony with us. >> we are seeing wintry weather across the northeast but as temperatures rise above the freezing point and have done that in new york and baltimore and d.c., we see the transition to chilly rain for the morning and snowflakes over new england and interior sections of new york we see a wintry mix and better news for those of you out on the roads and it will be a slow go up and down i-95 as it will be pretty wet through the mid-atlantic states and looks like mainly rain and staying soggy here as the front kind of drapes back from atlanta and birmingham and i-20 slow go for you and portions of i-10 portions of slippery roads

because of the rain coming down and not a lot of activity in the upper midwest and it's cold but great lakes you will see snow and especially up of michigan where we have a lake effect snow advisory in place. >> thank you, governors from east coast states are launching a joint effect to reduce air pollution and say the west has less strict regulations and calling on the government to cut down on dirty air coming in from neighboring states and it's a day before the supreme court is set to debate about states with high pollution should be held liable. >> four women who were locked away for a crime they say never happened and last year one was payrolled parolled and they are talking about the release and lost time away from families and each other. >> butter is good. we didn't have butter in prison

like we do here, it was imitation. >> reporter: this is a luxury after 16 years separated behind bars. >> we come as a package, one goes we all go together, nobody is going to stay behind. >> reporter: that is how it was in 1994 when a 20--year-old elizabeth and christie and anna both 19 were accused of a crime, two nieces 9 and 7 claimed the women raped then in a taquilla-fueled and satan. >> we knew a crime was never committed and stood by that and clear our name and not be told we are the people, what they think we are or these monsters they portrayed us to be, that is

not who we are. >> reporter: they were separated after their arrest and could have stayed out of prison by accepting play deals to testify against each other. they refused. they say the state targeted them for being lesbians and capitalized on that with the jury. >> we had a preacher's wife and i never stood a chance. >> reporter: there were in k inconsistencies in the stories and guilty of sexual assault of a child and 1998 the san antonio four were locked away. >> responsible and mothers and had job and school things were happening for us and the lives were taken away. >> reporter: 2012 as they spent the 15th year in prison one of the victims recanted telling the news i can't live my life knowing four women are sleeping in a cage because of me. earlier this year a doctor

withdraw her testimony saying she had been wrong when diagnosing scars on a victim's sign of abuse and now a normal himen may appear scared. this year a new tex law went into effect for courts to overturn convictions based on science that is later debunked so on november 18th the san antonio four reunited and meeting the granddaughter for the first time and ready to makeup for lost time. >> it was a death in the family and births. marriages and just so many things over the years that we have missed. >> reporter: the road aheld won't be easy, the women have been released but not exonerated and there is that to fight, jobs to find and lives to rebuild. the four say as long as they stick together they will do all

that and more. heidi docastra al jazeera san antonio. >> more than 2000 people who were wrongfully convicted have been exonerated in the past two decades and spent an average of ten years in prison and 30% of them have been exonerated by dna evidence. the president obama and first ladder were there and billy joel and santana and oprah singer, jazz musician herbie joncock and these are performers who influenced culture through the arts. and the flash mob military style, the u.s. airforce ban surprised visitors at the

washington and space museum and it started with a chello player and a full orchestra and chorus and 120 in all and it lasted four minutes and ended with an ovation and thomas has stories we are following for the next hour. >> good morning to you. the heavy snow and ice that slammed the midwest is in the northeast and it caused massive traffic pile ups, power outages and airport delays. the prime minister of thailand dissolved the parliament and called for elections in the face of massive protests and demonstrators called for the prime minister's resignation. world leaders are heading to south africa ahead of the service for nelson mandela and it will be tomorrow at f and b stadium in johannesburg and a belief that education was the only way for people to raise up from poverty and where that

legacy stands today. and revolutionary cancer treatment and using one deadly disease to battle another. >> i'm mark and coming up, the afc race is heating up as manning is a leg up on the competition, that is ahead in sports. wintry conditions will improve today but i'm tracking another round of snow for the northeast, i'll have details coming up. al jazeera america continues and thomas and i are back with you in just 2 1/2 minutes. ♪

straight to the point. >> i'm on the ground every day finding stories that matter to you. >> in new orleans... >> seattle bureau... >> washington... >> detroit... >> chicago... >> nashville... >> los angeles... >> san francisco... >> al jazeera america, take a new look at news.

>> from our headquarters in new york, here are the headlines this hour. >> al jazeera america is the only news channel that brings you live news at the top of every hour. >> a deal in the senate may be at hand and just in the nick of time. >> thousands of new yorkers are marching in solidarity. >> we're following multiple developments on syria at this hour. >> every hour from reporters stationed around the world and across the country. >> only on al jazeera america. tñ

>> today's big number is a tñ really big one. $17,300,000,000,000, that's the current national debt. it's relevant as congress is reportedly on the verge of signing a budget deal this week. >> it would be the first budget agreement in two oh years as both sides try to has she out spending limits. critics argue it's nothing more than a ceasefire between democrats and republicans and largely ignores debt issues, not addressing corporate tax

loopholes or expensive health care and retirement programs and all but ignores spending cuts. we'll be following that budget deal this week. >> representatives from iran and the six major world powers are meeting again today discussing the implementation of the nuclear agreement with the u.n.'s inspectors. we'll be joined by former u.n. chief weapons instructor to discuss the steps that need to be taken to put these plans in place. >> let's talk about that weather. it is messy out there. let's look at what the system is doing and what temperatures we can expect across the nation today. meteorologist ebony dionne. >> i'm starting out in the upper midwest across the dakotas. we have seen bone-chilling the last three days. fargo, wind chills have made it feel 30 degrees or greater below zero. that's where we stand right now.

minus eight in minneapolis is the feels like. freezing point in memphis, milder in atlanta, 43 degrees and mid 70's across central and south florida. across the southern plains, it's cold this morning. we are dealing with fog around the area. that could be freezing fog around dallas and fort worth as our temperature hovers around the freezing point. it's only 22 around amarillo. temperatures will be warmest here in the sunshine state. >> israel's prime minister wants tougher sanctions on iran to win more concessions on its nuclear program. netanyahu wants a change to what he called the genocidal policy. >> they are committed to a radical ideology and pursues it and talks about it again and again and again. i say beware. we've learned in our experience, the experience of the jewish

people to take seriously those who speak about our annihilation. >> president obama doesn't think iran will give up it's entire nuclear program, but calls upon them to freeze the most dangerous parts of the program for six months in return for ease of sanctions. >> inspections could help gauge iran's nuclear capabilities and motives. joining us to discuss this step is former u.n. chief weapons inspector joining us from washington this morning. >> good morning, thomas. >> can you give us a better understanding first of all of this particular plant, why is it still operational and what's currently being constructed there? >> it's very important that inspectors went there a day ago. this is the first test of iran's agreement with the six powers

made two weeks ago, part of which that they would put a hold on work at this plant, the reactor and heavy worker manufacturing capability. why is it important? everyone has heard about iran enriching uranium. that's one way to make an atomic bomb. the other way is to extract plutonium from fuel that has already been burnt in a reactor. not all reactors can do that, but this one can. when iran goes on stream and burns uranium fuel to make electricity, i did will be at the same time making a small quantity of plutonium which could be extracted and made into an atomic bomb. >> that is the concern among the west. why is iran using this facility? what is its main purpose? >> to make electricity. there are many over places in the world where natural uranium is used to make electricity, but

that is a process that automatically produces some plutonium. >> two inspectors visited the site sunday. what are they looking for, what were they looking for? >> they were looking to see the production of the heavy water that is used in this particular kind of reactor as a coolant and moderator. i don't know their conclusions. they've gone back to the hours of the iaea, the atomic agency and their findings will be made available through the talks starting again today in geneva. what they are looking for is to see that iran is keeping its promise. as i said at the beginning, this is the first concrete test of what was agreed to weeks ago, that this reactor would be put on hold, including the heavy water component of it. hopefully the inspectors will

say they went, saw and iran is keeping this first part of the deal. >> what is the likelihood that iran is concealing a nuclear program? >> goodness me. that's a good question that we've all pondered. it's theoretically possible that i think what we're seeing now is movement toward the solution to this problem that is in their interest and i think they'd be very, very foolish indeed to go into some significant form of concealment. on the other hand, there is no substitute for inspection and verification. we have to see what the facts are and it's up to iran to make that possible. >> as we mentioned, iran nuclear talks are set to resume today. can we expect anything out of those talks? >> we can expect more progress. eye rap is highly motivated to see sanctions reds. on the other hand, they do want to maintain elements of nuclear independence, something which is

guaranteed through the treaty. on the other hand again, the areas where they have to really cooperate, come clean and show the world what they are and are not doing, and the concrete steps to make that possible, more possible than even today, with this recent inspection have to be designed and agreed upon. >> real quick, briefly in six months, i know it's difficult to answer perhaps this question, do you think we'll see a final deal? >> this may sound cowardly, but i don't know. my guess is yes but there's some very hard yards to be walked yet. either they're going to come clean and cooperate and reveal what they're doing in a transparent way or not and if they don't, i'm sure they'll face the consequences. >> not cowardly at all, as i

mentioned, it is a difficult question to answer. >> turning to business news, we may get hint about when the federal reserve might ease it's economic stimulus. friday you see encouraging jobs report is expected to pressure the fed to pull back its bond buying program, but one fed watcher said it has to be careful about how it pull us the trigger, because it would affect consumers. >> on mortgages, on all sorts of consumers transactions, adjustable rate credit cards is increasing. the fed needs to see that people continue to buy larger things even with higher interest rates. >> a majority of forecasters expect the fed to start pulling back the stimulus early next year. the fed will meet to discuss policy next week. >> wall street in wait and see

mode. oversees, european markets are mostly lower kicking off the week with solid games after china posted its largest trade at your you plus in years. >> people are gathering in south africa for the week long tribute to nelson mandel will. >> a look at the educational system and the challenges that remain. >> preventing another deadly derailment. the procedures lawmakers calling for after the new york city accident to keep train riders safe. >> violence in singapore as crowds attack police and set cars on fire. >> another amazing comeback by the patriots, but they may have

lost a key offensive weapon for the rest of the season. sure i knew my history as a young african american girl. they made me learn about martin luther king's march on washington and watch nelson mandela's acceptance speech when he first took the podium as president. >> so help me god. >> fast forward 17 years later. i'm an eager college senior. and it's no surprise i chose

south africa as the place to go for my fellowship. when i got there, i started teaching kids in one of the country's poorest townships, kids all born the year that mandela was freed. they were, as we say in south (vo) al jazeera america we understand that every news story begins and ends with people. >> the efforts are focused on rescuing stranded residents. (vo) we pursue that story beyond the headline, past the spokesperson, to the streets. >> thousands of riot police deployed across the capitol. (vo) we put all of our global resources behind every story. >> it is a scene of utter devastation. (vo) and follow it no matter where it leads, all the way to you. al jazeera america. take a new look at news. al jazeera america is growing and now more americans are getting the high quality, original, in-depth reporting al jazeera america is known for.

>> to find out more about al jazeera america go to aljazeera.com >> it could be a messy one depending where you live. >> this storm system that's hit much of the u.s. is continuing to cause problems this morning. i think you know this personally. >> it took 10 hours to get from d.c. to new york yesterday. >> we'll find who's getting the brunt of the storm and that area is one of them. >> people around the world continue to mourn nelson mandela as leaders head for a huge ceremony tomorrow. we'll look at impact he had on

education in south africa. >> safety issues are being addressed in the train derailment in new york city last week. we'll find out what two congressman want to do for safety issues. >> third years after protests about the way education was in south africa, in capetown, the legacy of apartheid is proving hard to overcome. >> nelson enjoyed supporting and encouraging children in school. the statesman placed education at the center es struggle. throughout his presidency, he argued that the single most important priority was to develop the nation's once depressed youth.

in 1976, young black anger boiled over. the soweto uprising boiled over. linda was one of those young students who rioted. he's now the principal of the secondary school, one of the most successful. he keeps close watch over the classes, acutely aware of history's lessons. >> we are accompanying all the brothers, throwing stones. later, because of this, they were trying to educate us to understand why the boycott, why the situation, why the uprising. >> he understood the urgency to educate black students as their white counter parts to give them

both purpose and hope. >> the a.n.c. has struggled to fill full nelson mandela's vision. the system is crippled, school buildings falling apart and they have crowding. >> cape town is typical of the struggle. >> i wants to be a doctor. >> he wants to be an information technology. >> there is now a dangerous gap between the promise of education and what it actually delivers. schools boast a 70% pass rate, but to graduate, students only need 30% on their exams, a third of them won't be literate by the time they leave. >> in the end of the 12 years study, about 60% of those young people have fallen out of the system, so it also has to do with the curriculum. it has to do with the kind of training that our teachers had.

>> schools are still struggling with the legend of apartheid. this generation is bearing the scars of the system much longer than nelson mandela imagined. >> the world economic forum of switzerland ranked south africa 146 out of one fought eight countries in education, ranking last in mathematics and science. >> officials in singapore are cleaning up after a riot. crowds attacked police and set cars on fire. dozens were injured and 27 people arrested. it is the first riot in more than four decades. >> it's a police car under attack. the crowd eventually overturns a vehicle, others they set on fire. a rare outbreak of rioting in

the state, known for its strict laws against public disorder. the incident happened in an area called little india, the heart of singapore's indian and bangladesh community, where violence reportedly started after a bus hit and killed a foreign worker. a crowd then smashed the bus windows. at least five police cars were attacked, three overturned. >> for the first time in my life i have seen this, i am 50 years old. >> the police commissioner had never seen rioting on singapore streets in his 26 years as a police officer. >> we treat this incident very seriously, and we will spend all he was to arrest those involved. >> little india is usually

packed with people gathered on their day off. the deputy prime minister appealed for calm. >> this is a serious incident. it started from a fatal traffic accident involving a private bus and a pedestrian. the crowd reacted to the accident and started a riot. >> punishment for rioting carries a sentence of up to seven years in jail and a possible containing. the last riots on this scale happened more than 40 years ago. such a sudden outpouring of anger against the authorities is likely to fuel debate about the level of discontent among low paid foreign workers in this strictly governed city state. charles stratford, aljazeera. >> about 400 people were involved in that riot. >> a pair of newlyweds are accused of using craigslist to lure a man into a thrill killing. the couple wanted to bond by

killing someone together. they posted an ad president obama provide companionship. they picked up the man who responded, strangled him and stabbed him. >> a deal with prosecutors calls for three months of home consignment and three years probation for the exmayor. >> two congressman are calling for more safety procedures to protect train passengers. we have the latest. >> as of this morning, the m.t.a. upgraded its signal system right in the area of the bronx where the derailment happened eight days ago. the train was traveling more than 80 miles per hour as it hit the turn where the speed limit is only 30. engineers get alerts of the

speed limit and the train will brake automatically speeding inside a curve. the senators acknowledged the changes just i should are on the right track, but say it's not enough. they wrote a letter urging the immediate implementation of cameras and all passenger trains. this is not the first time there's been a call for cameras. the n.t.s.b. suggested the same thing after a collision in san francisco that killed five. >> five years ago, the ntsb recommended that cameras be installed in our locomotive cabs, both pointing inside and pointing outside. inside, to see what the engineer was doing, outside to see if tracks and nationals were in good shape. >> the f.r.s. or m.t.a. have not commented on cameras. union leaders express concerns

about engineer privacy when it comes to cameras inside the cabs. increased safety procedures continue tomorrow morning when conductors will stand alongside operators inside the cab to directly communicate about speed limits on certain routes that have potentially dangerous curves. >> last week, we talked about that automatic system that initiates the brakes if the speed goes over. is that on track to be implemented? >> yes. that is called the positive train control and congress has mandated that all r.s across the country have to have this in place by december, 2015. there's still a little more time. in the meantime, they have secured a contractor and are in the process of getting that system up and running. >> some of the biggest tech companies are teaming up against the n.s.a. facebook, google, twitter,al pell and microsoft want to limit the government from collecting their user's information and

want more oversight of the n.s.a. >> the opposition still holds two big prizes in the oil city of maracebo and the capitol of caracas. we have more details. >> 18 different elections in 14 years, and the new call to go out and vote again, just eight months after electing a new president, 300 new mayors were elected, and over 2500 council members. >> this is the evidence that i'm contributing with a grain of sand to change my country. if you don't vote, you can't complain. >> it has one of the highest inflation rates in the world at 54%. venezuela rampant crime puts the capital as the third most view len in the region and food

shortages have increased. she hopes her vote will help the government. >> i love this country and respect it. i want to see it free, a country like many others. >> polls taken before the vote predict over 50% of venezuelans will remain loyal to the government. >> this is the most populace neighborhood. many tell us they will continue to vote for governmental candidates, as many have benefited from the social programs. >> it is flooded with garbage, water scarce and crime rampant, but people don't want to lose food subsidies and health care. >> my daughter studied at the university. i have a pension. when i go to the doctor, i get my medicine for free. >> despite those benefits, the shortcomings continue to affect the lives of the poor in

venezuela. there will be no more elections until 2015 when the opposition faces the voters. that is still four years away. >> fans of major league baseball will recognize one of venezuelas newette mayors. former baseball star ordonez was elected. he played 15 seasons with the detroit tigers and the chicago white sox. >> a soccer match was stopped for more than an hour after fans started fighting in the fans in brazil. you see fans punched and kicked one another until police

arrived. police fired rubber bullets and fear gas to get the crowd under control. one badly injured man had to be airlifted from the field. police placed security guards so the match could resume. >> it was the key week in the nfl for teams vying for playoff positions. >> last hour, we focused on the n.f.c., this hour the a.f.c. the colts have been up and down, alternating wins and losses since november, still looking to secure the a.f.c. south title with a win over the bengals in chilly cincinnati yesterday. the bengals unbeaten at home, a 21-0 lead. they improve to 6-0 at home with an impressive victory.

>> browns and patriots, 26-21. puts down the perfect on-side kick. brady throws deep to body. he stumbles a bit. he called for pass interference. that was in the final seconds of the game. tom brady takes advantage of the team's fortune. patriots come all the way back to win it. now amid another amazing patriots comeback was tom gronkowski being taken off the field. he will undergo an mri. two time pro bowler took a direct hit to his knee by cleveland brown safety t.j. ward. he missed the first six games of this season after recovering

from surgeries. >> the broncos control their own destiny to lock up home field advantage. the titans visited the mile high city yesterday. we start with three seconds to go in the half. broncos down 21-17. attempting a 64-yard field goal and crushes it. that's not just the thin air in denver. he ripped it. he's in the record books. twenty yards for the score put denver up. five yards for the score, denver wins 51-28. >> the broncos' record setting offense keeps right on rolling. with the 51 points against the titans yesterday, denver has scored 50 or more points in a

game this season and 40 or more six times this season. peyton manning had four tosses, giving him a total of 45 for the season. the record for a single season 50 set by tom brady. the broncos are the first team in nfl history to have four players with 10 or more touchdowns in a single season. >> chiefs and redskins, look at the snow. redskins dismal season continues. robert griffin, iii looking for pierre garcon. three plays later, the 21-yard touchdown. chiefs pound the redskins and snap a three-game losing streak. here's how the a.f.c. playoff picture shapes up. denver and indianapolis have clinched playoff spots with new england and cincinnati on their

way. kansas city and baltimore would be in the playoffs if they started today. that wraps up sports at this hour. >> a potential revolution in the treatment of leukemia. >> when you first hear that word, the first question is when am i going to die? >> scientists call it a possible break through, using one deadly disease to fight a common form of cancer. wintery you weather is making for a dangerous and tricky monday morning commute. we'll see who's getting the brunt of the storm system causing problems across the u.s.

>> good morning, and welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. >> i'm thomas drayton. research ares are set to announce the result of a leukemia stayed. they are using another harmful disease to battle this deadly form of cancer. >> let's look at precipitation across the u.s. today. >> we continue with that mixed

bag of wintery weather across the northeast. we are still seeing the snowflakes fly just coming in off the great lakes around watertown. we will see snow off and on throughout the day. as we see this all lifting up towards the snort, boston and in land is where we have the freezing rain, but further south, the wintery weather has switched over to just plain rain. we are actually seeing it come around heavy at times around the baltimore, d.c. area this morning. it is bringing our visibility down to just around two miles around our nation's capitol. we have a few scattered rain showers later today and this milder air, we could be in line for a few showers, as well. >> peel i don't know tolling discovered the skeleton of a dinosaur that lived 130 million years ago. this 26-foot long reptile swam in the southern ocean when the earth was far warmer than today. this was discovered in the

columbia. they have been found previously in other areas. >> a revolutionary leukemia treatment uses the patient's own system in a modified version of the h.i.v. virus. >> for bob, an avoid cyclist, getting back on his bike is no small feat. last year, the engineer executive was facing the end of the road. >> at this point, were you preparing to die, getting a will ready no. >> i think in 2012, that's one of the few things i did. i worked on the will. pretty dismal year. >> a decade earlier in singapore, a routine physical revealed he had leukemia. >> what was your reaction? >> shocked. leukemia? when you first hear that word,

the first question is when am i going to die. >> at first, chemotherapy helped, but then the cancer came back with a vengeance, this time an even nastier strain. >> i am dying. i'm living on transfusions at that point, and you can't live on transfusions forever. >> his time running out, bob decided on a hail mary, a radical new approach at the university of pennsylvania. >> to even be eligible, you have to have no hope left, meaning there's no f.d.a. approved therapy that will work. in bob's case, he probably had five pounds of tumor when we treated him. in his bone marrow and spleen and other organs. >> a team of researchers at penn are treating leukemia in a revolutionary way, taking white

blood cells known as t. cells from the sickest patients, then genetically engineering them to attack cancer. they do this by in fusing the t. cells with a form of the aids virus or h.i.v. that has been disabled so it cannot cause the disease. the newly engineered t cells are transfused back into the patient's blood. weeks after his treatment, he had his bone marrow tested. >> there was no more leukemia. >> was that astounding to you? >> it was very gratifying. >> bob is not alone. in the penn trials, 59 adults and children have been treated for end stage leukemia. 31 experienced complete remissions. of those, only six have seen their leukemia return. the results just published are preliminary, but encouraging. >> the scientists believe it may also fight other forms of deadly cancer. >> bob is pruning his plum trees

and taking on culting work. his cancer is behind him. >> it's just amazing that something can happen that quickly. a miracle. just a miracle. >> you can catch the full report on this break through treatment on america tonight right here at 9:00 eastern. >> dell walt he is joins us now with a look at what we're following this morning. >> thomas and stephanie, you've been talking about the heavy snow and ice that slammed the midwest now hitting the northeast just as hard, causing massive pile ups, power outages and airport delays. >> prime minister of thailand now calling for new elections in the face of massive protests

there calling for prime minister to resign. >> tributes will be held tomorrow in johannesburg for nelson mandela. as the world looks back on his life, we talked to a filmmaker with a personal atory. his documentary was inspired by his stepfather in the battle he fought to free nelson mandela from prison. >> coming up, sports after a championship weekend in college football, the major bowls are set up, including the national title game in pasadena. >> wintery weather conditions will improve today, but i'm tracking another round on the way for snow in the northeast. i'll have the details coming up. >> aljazeera is back in two minutes with del walters. have a good morning.

>> evey sunday night, join us for exclusive, revealing, and suprizing talks with the most interesting people of our time. this sunday, >> i spent my whole life thinking about themes and thinking about how to structure movies, so this is highly unusual. >> the director of the sixth sense, says there are five things we can do to fix education in america >> the united states has education apartheid, that's the facts... >> talk to al jazeera with m. night shayamalan sunday at 7et / 4pt on al jazeera america

>> the east coast is the latest part of the country hit by that nasty winter storm. snow and freezing rain fouling from washington to fill lie add to nationwide traffic troubles. >> a symbolic gesture in awe 18, protestors toppling a statue of len anyone, callingen oh the government to break ties with russia and form new ones with the european union. >> after weeks of this, the prime minister now dissolving parliament, calling for new elections in thailand. >> a day of prayer for nelson

mandela. president obama and three former presidents are headed so south africa today for tuesday's memorial service. >> colder temperatures reaching the east coast, making football games on sunday almost impossible to see and to play. good morning and welcome to august make. i'm del walters. that storm causing pile ups in several states, accidents on the pennsylvania turn pike sunday involved almost 60 vehicles. amateur video shows the long line of cars halted by a crash near redding, pennsylvania. we have been tracking the storm all day now. what's the latest? >> we still have a lot of messy weather, almost much of the wintery weather has switched

over to rain, so that is the good news. it is certainly continuing to cause problems across the area, taking a toll over much of the country. if you booked a flight, call ahead before heading to the and i want. >> the arctic blast now entering its second week is causing misery across the country. staying warm is not easy when there is ice, snow and temperatures as low as 20 degrees in some areas. >> i have got on wool socks and on two layers of pants. i've got on two layers of shirts and my jacket and big bears hat on, so. >> what is it, 23 right now? that's just crazy. it's cold. >> sheets of ice and white out conditions have sent cars, buses and trucks colliding across roadways, resulting in major collisions and miles of traffic jam. >> wow, the whole thing is shut down. >> interare state 94 in wisconsin was shut down after a massive pileup resulted in one

dead and dozens injured. >> there's probably in excess of seven semis and 30 plus vehicles. >> in texas, an ice patch sent the driver of a pickup truck out of control, flipping the vehicle over a guardrail and into the icy waters. the driver was killed in a crash. for those traveling by air. >> i'm trying to get back home. >> the cold nap grounded flights, in dallas, ice caused this roof collapse. >> in plano texas, sheets of ice sounded like thunder coming down from the roof. >> holy freaking moley! >> parts of pennsylvania, maryland and new jersey had snow falling at one to three inches per hour. that didn't stop philadelphia fans braving snow as the eagles

took on the lions. the ravens took on the vikings in near zero visibility. utility workers racing to get the lights back on. thousands are living without power across the country, and with the threat of new ice accumulations, more outages could be on the way. all that and the official start of winter is still two weeks away. the lingering affects remain across the northeast. we are still getting plenty of moisture as that flow sets up over the area, but the good news, temperatures are rising above the freezing point, so the wintery weather is switching to rain. we have heavy rain coming down around the d.c. area. we're dealing with the fog, causing concerns, as well. snowflakes still flying across upstate new york. that's going to continue through the day. we have freezing rain justify outside of boston, so keep that in mind. in boston, we are dealing with a mix, so freezing rain and snow will slow you down. going through the late morning

hours, most of these advisories are going to be lifted. we'll see improving conditions throughout the day. i want to take you you into the northeast for tuesday, because we'll see another round of snow setting up here. that looks like the heaviest stuff. this small yea, we could end up with three inches of snow, possibly even one inch of snow back into new york city. here's a look at the timing. throughout today, conditions improve. we'll be left with lingering crowds hitting into the afternoon. by tuesday morning, another batch moves in as pressure lists northward from the hid atlantic. we'll have northwesterly winds driving temperatures down. that's going to bring more wintery weather across the northeast as we get into tuesday. enjoy the break while you can. travel conditions could still be a concern even early tuesday. here cross the southeast, the air is milder. we have the rain around and as we go through the afternoon, we

could deal with thunder around atlanta and birmingham. eye 20 is going to be a slow go, as well. >> thank you very much. it is going to be a mess. >> ukraine's president wants to talk to three former leaders hoping to defuse anti-government sentiment there. protestors want the president to resign because he favors stronger ties with russia instead of the west. hundreds taking to the streets sunday toppled a symbol of the former soviet union. aljazeera is live from kiev. the ukrainian president says he is going to meet with those former presidents. will that be enough to end the demonstrations? >> the situation is tense here, but there also appears to be a mood for compromise. the latest that we're hearing is that the president is moving

towards the possibility of holding meetings with foamer are presidents of ukraine, and there are also indications that that could possibly include opposition figures. the first reaction we've had from the opposition comes from the heavyweight box he, also an opposition leader here in ukraine, who says he might be prepared to take part in talks, but the opposition are not backing away from their demands that the president resigns. there are fresh elections. conditions are extremely tense, riot police behind me here at the far edges of the square, just to demonstrate their presence, because of course, everyone's extremely nervous here about this looming deadline

by which the protestors must leave their occupation ty hall and their street protests. the other crucial step to watch here now is the arrival of catherine aston, the european union's chief fortune envoy. she is expected to arrive on tuesday. it may be that if this mood of compromise can be worked upon, that she can bring together the warring factions and perhaps at last make progress here and avoid further confrontation. >> aljazeera's tim friend in key every. tim, thank you very much. the prospect of new elections not keeping protestors off the streets in thailand. police say 150,000 people marching through bangkok today. prime minister dissolved parliament, calling for a vote, but says she will run again for president.

protestors say their goal is her ouster. we have more. >> what they want is more than just a new election. they want the government rid of the prime minister and any influence. this is something they've been saying. the former prime pinster is in compile. what they've got so far is elections to take place in the next five to six weeks, the leader of the anti-government movement saying that is not enough. he spoke before we came on air. he's probably going to speak again in the coming hours on that stage behind me. this is going to be a big rallying speech. this is the final day of this type, this phase of this movement. it will be interesting to see how they transition after spending the night here into more of a political fight. it sounds as though the protest leader has said that they've done this part of it, gone to the streets, proven their point.

how they get that ultimate goal will be the big question. >> that is aljazeera in bangkok. the tensions between thailand political party go back more than a decade. in 2001, the party elections supporters live mostly in the northern provinces. the democratic party has not won an election since 1992. the ruling party survived even though the leader was ousted in 2006, then convicted of corruption two years later and living in exile. his sister won by a landslide in 2011, but protestors accused her of buying the election. just last month, she tried to grant amnesty to her brother. that's when the anti-government demonstrations began. five people have died in those

protests. >> this riot broke out in singapore's little india district after an indian national was struck and killed by a bus, crowds attacking police and setting cars on fire. dozens of people were injured, 27 arrested. >> we treat this incident very seriously and classified the case as rioting. we will spare to effort to arrest those involved. >> 400 people were involved. it was the first major riot there in more than four decades. >> venezuela president passed his first test at the ballot box since gaining power, his socialist power winning half of the elections. he faces a economic crisis, power outages and shortages of needed things which are widespread.

world leaders say he must devalue the currency. >> the world continues to mourn the loss of nelson mandela with vigils held outside his home since he died thursday. heads of state are making their way to johannesburg ahead of tuesday's public memorial. more than 80,000 people are expected to attend, including president obama and first lady, michelle obama. we are live in mandela square where people are paying tribute to the former leader. good morning. >> good morning, dell. we're in santon, one of the wealthier areas of the city. this scene is being repeated across the country, candles, some electric, some real, people dropping by to drop off little mementos, lay down flowers and take a moment to be quiet in the

presence of the great man himself. there's a huge statue at the end of the square. this is high end real estate, some of the priceyest real estate in the country. a lot of companies have office space in this neighborhood. nearby in the township, which we visited today, this is the place where nelson mandela first lived when he ran away from home so long ago and came to johannesburg. this is going to be one of the back drops for these celebrations of his life, unemployment in this country right now is about 25%, and according to european monitor labor survey, about 70% of those unemployed are 15-35 years old, the very young in south africa, face in considerable challenges at this point. so as the word leaders gather to celebrate nelson mandela and all he did for this country, it's still very clear there's a lot

of work to do in these townships in africa. the flowers keep coming in the square. we can show you the table where anybody who wants to write a personal note to nelson mandela and the family can do that. a lot of kids are coming down writing what they want to see if they can. we'll show you one last look at the flowers and statue, nelson mandela square, again, sites like this set up around the country and many people coming to pay their respects. >> there are so many people coming that remember the anti apartheid leader after he was freed from prison, also those who were part of the struggle. we'll talk to a filmmaker who's 10 father fought to get nelson mandela out of prison. are you seeing in a sense two worlds converging coming to mourn the loss of nelson mandela? >> the sense is one of

celebration and possibly a recommitment to some of the ideals that he put forth. there is also a recognition that there are some very serious challenges here. i don't think we're going to be able to wave nelson mandela remembrance wand and make a lot of these things go away. the leaders going to be recognizing that he contributed greatly to this country and to the world, and as we heard religious leaders say yesterday, we need to take that advice that he gave all of us, move ahead and make those things happen again better and in other are places. >> joining us live, alan, thank you very much. >> in cape town, parliament convening a special two hour session today to honor mandela. he first appeared in front of that body in 2010, 20 years after he was released from prison. the gallery opened with a musical tribute and personal statements from members of parliament. >> french forces now involved in what is being called the

forgotten crisis. their mandate to restore order in the central african republic remains. >> an oil company has long been a national pride, spawning protests across the capitol. >> a new push for safety after last week's deadly crash. >> this is a live look at andrews air force base right now. president obama just boarding air force one just moments ago. he will be heade headed to south africa for the funeral of nelson mandela.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm del walters. in mexico city, thousands of protestors are taking to the streets. we'll tell it will you why they're so upset about proposed changes for the state run oil company in a molt. first, let's find out whether all this snow and ice are going to continue across the nation today. >> temperatures are going to stay cold enough for some areas to continue with the wintery weather we've been dealing with across mainly northern new england. right now, it's minus forein

denver, freezing in memphis, 22 in chicago. if you like it warm, the only place in the u.s. is down across florida, who are already in the 60's and 70's. the dakota, it's minus 10 right now in fargo. dropped to 30 degrees or better below zero. we have those dangerously cold conditions in place. it feels like minus 15 in minneapolis. temperatures are going to stay blow average. in the mideast, mid 30's back into new york city, philadelphia and d.c., switching snow over to rain. philadelphia not quite getting to forth before today. the cold air returns tuesday. it looks like we can certainly see another round of snow. we're at the freezing point in dallas. del. >> france will start dividing fighters by force, if necessary.

fighting has eased. 400 were killed in clashes between christian and muslim fighters there. the president said he is struggling to maintain control. he can't stop armed groups from operating in the countries. france is sending armed troops to its former colony. >> drone strikes and the taliban the topics among high level meetings in afghanistan. chuck hagel meeting with the prime minister and newly appointed army chief. it is the first visit to pakistan by a u.s. secretary since the bin laden raid in 2011. >> i never asked for a meeting with president karzai. that was not the purpose of my trip, never suggested it in any way. i never received in invitation

to meet with him. i didn't expect a meeting with him. >> afghan president refusing to sign that security deal with the u.s. before year's end, letting u.s. troops stay in the country after next year. >> iran's president is backing his afghan counter parts decision to delay signing that security deal. karzai meeting in tehran on sunday. the two countries agree in principle to cooperate on trade and security, iran long oh oppose in the presence of u.s. and nato troops in afghanistan. >> u.n. weapon inspectors get access to an iranian nuclear facility. iran agreed to scale back enrichment of uranium that could be used to build a bomb or generate electricity. this week, the plan will be discussed to slow the nuclear

program. >> mexico might open its state run oil company to private investment. that is sparking protests. we have more. >> an oil reformed package was introduced in the country senate. this reform package is aimed at modernizing. people against the reform said it's really meant to privatize what they consider a sacred national resource. penex was created in 2008. that it's been seen as holy and sacred. it pace for a third of all government spending. people marching here on sunday say what they're most afraid of is give aways to private companies, to foreign companies, to u.s. based companies. this oil reform package does create a system or would create

a system of licenses to allow private companies to not only profit, but also run some of the royal and gas fields in mexico. protestors focus their energy on the senate where the reform package was being debated. it is surrounded by car cased and there is a heavy police presence. clearly a tense debate is going on in mexico. it looks likely to pass later in the week. we'll see protests gather in size as this goes on. >> if mexico passes that bill, it would be the most drastic overhaul in its oil industry in 75 years. here's what's making business news this morning, the world's biggest airline free for takeoff, american airlines and u.s. airways merging. four carriers now control 4/5 of the u.s. air market.

>> we could soon get hint about when the fed could ease back on oh its stimulus program. friday's encouraging jobs report is expected for the fed to pull back. >> they don't want to do anything at-bat, because we've had a few artificial dawns already in the course of this recovery. if you look at one month's job picture and say things are great now, let's ease off a bit, you have the risk of plunging the nation right back into recession. the fed doesn't want to do that. >> a survey found that a majority of its forecasters expect the fed to pull back on stimulus sometime early next year. wall street searching for direct this morning. do you futures are a little changed at this hour. on friday, the dow and s. and p.m. bouncing back from their five day losing streak.

over seas, european markets closed flat. china posted its largest trade at your plus in five years. >> gas prices are up again. the price per gallon rising 3 cents over the last two weeks, the nationwide average is $3.29. prices are expected to rise a few more pennies over the next several days. >> there's a new player for air space over the north china sea, south korea. that is raising tensions in the region. >> south korea's announcement you maybe about invisible lines in the air, but extend over disputed areas of land and sea. this is the submerged rocky reef, home to a scientific

research station and under its very obvious de facto control. south korea has asserted its rights in the air above. >> the new korean air space identification zone has been modified to be in line with the country's flight information region, which does not overlap with neighboring countries. this includes the air space over those waters. >> china's surprise extension of its air defense identification zone encroached on korea and japan. the government in seoul said it won't impose the new rules until december 15, allowing for consultation with neighbors. >> we believe this will not

significantly impact our relationships with china and japan. as we try to work for peace and cooperation in northeast asia. >> south korea's president discussed the plans with u.s. vice president joe biden during his visit last week. the u.s. state department has declared itself on the same page as seoul. china which released pictures of military exercises sunday said it would have nothing to do with maritime jurisdiction, adding it would stay in communication with seoul. >> they could set the stage for what nobody wants, an accidental conflict in increasingly contested skies. aljazeera, seoul. >> this is the first time south

korea has adjusted its zone since 1951. >> the u.s. continues to mourn the loss of nelson mandela. there are many who fought with him with names most people don't know. we'll tell you about 12 people who worked behind the scenes and are now being recognized. >> congress heading back to work in washington will focus on pressing issues, including a big budget deal. >> there is a new call for safety after last week's deadly train crash. >> in week 14 of the nfl, mccoy had a record-setting day in the snow for the philadelphia eagles. highlights coming up in sports.

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>> welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm del walters. these are our top stories at this hour. that snow and ice storm that crippled parts of the country making its way to the northeast over the weekend, grounding more than 2500 flights nationwide, including more than a thousand in dallas alone. the storm also causing several multiple car pile ups. >> after weeks of anti-government protests in thailand, the prime minister calling for new elections by february. it is not yet clear whether she will be her party's choice to continue to lead. >> africa kicks off eight days of tributes to nelson mandela. dozens of world leaders including president obama and three of his predecessors will attend the service on tuesday. on sunday, millions taking part in a national day of prayer. >> lawmakers are due back in washington tuesday facing pressing matters before they leave town for the holidays. on their agenda, a massive

defense bill and that farm bill with controversial food stamp cuts. the budget deal would avoid a government shutdown like we lived through back in october. brian moore is in washington and brian, a very big week for lawmakers on capitol hill. >> del, i have covered washington for a lot of years. this is getting to be a holiday tradition here, washington's injury own version of beat the clock. >> congress is scrambling to get work done just as most americans be getting ready to relax for the holidays. topping the agenda, ending the budget bite that led to the government put some down. >> negotiations are making progress, moving the right direction. they haven't closed the deal. >> both sides want a budget, but the fine print has been elusive. >> the key is we don't have a government shut down, keep the spending caps in place. >> lawmakers have to wrap up a massive defense spending bill

and are still wrestling over the farm bill including cuts to food stamp benefits. they're at odds on extending unemployment benefits. >> i do support the benefits for the 26 weeks that they're paid for. if you extend it beyond that, you do a disservice to the workers. >> if congress refuse to say act, it won't just hurt families already struggling, it will hurt our economy. >> a familiar theme, lots to do and not a lot of time to do it. >> the legislative calendar just got a little shorter. members of congress, many of them, are heading to africa to oh pay their respect to say nelson mandela. live in washington, i'm brian moore. >> brian, what happens if congress doesn't get everything done in time this time? >> well, you know, what has happened every other time they didn't get things done, they'll kick the can down the road and

retroactively fix the damage done. that could result in some people not getting their unemployment benefits, some checks not going out. members of congress especially in the senate are determined to come up with some deal, not a grand deal, but some sort of catch work, keep it going deal. >> brian, thank you very much. i have to ask the question before you go, is there a sense in washington that they get it this time? >> absolutely not. at least they're giving lip service to it in the senate, but in the house, we all look at the public opinion poll that is show is that the public is against congress, but drill down to those individual districts and those lawmakers believe that they are doing the people's will, their people's will and those people are going to keep them in office, at least that's what they believe. >> brian moore in washington, thank you very much.

there are thousands of people watching and wondering are we about to see a repeat of what we saw in october? >> this time around i believe there is a stronger incentive on the republic side because they saw the impact this had including in their own districts. i think republicans have a focus to keep the focus on the affordable care act and how the implementation is going, because that is where they had the strong evident political impact. i don't think the same incentives as last time line up. i agree there will be a short term extension or a modest deal to avoid a shod down. >> 1.3 million workers affected by the unemployment benefits. is that a deal breaker no. >> if you look at the top line budget physician, senate democrats came in with slightly over a trillion dollars for

their annual budget, house republicans with $986 billion. they're narrowing the ditches to the one trillion-dollar mark for next year. that would include this unemployment benefits extension and i think in that sense, from a fiscal standpoint, it's not a deal breaker. it's really more of a philosophical question. you saw a clip from rand paul. there is a fundamental belief on their part that unemployment n cripples workers. i would argue that nobody enjoys being unemployed and when jobs are available, people have an incentive to get them and there's no real economic correlation between up employment insurance and long term unemployment. it's more a correlation between demand growth.

>> is there a disconnect, in your opinion with the republicans on the issue of the unemployment benefits that perhaps is a generational thing, seeing the benefits as something that benefits those who don't want to work versus those who lost jobs in the economic meltdown and can't work? >> well, i don't know filled call is a generational disconnect, because i don't know if it correlates to the age of a member of congress or their con sit with went. i think there is a philosophical disconnect. when we talk about issues like raise in the minimum wage, which so clearly would address the growing disparity between rich and poor in this country, it's so clearly address the corporate welfare that companies get when they don't have to pay for health insurance, proceedings, because the government does if somebody is making minimum wage, those strike me as philosophical issues between those of us on the democratic side who argue that those are real economic benefits, and those on the far

right, who would argue there's just a belief in free market. those are not what i would call negotiable items. there is almost a religious doctrine on either side and you can't find a way to compromise. >> that's unfortunately the way it's been in washington for a long time. >> you have to come back to an insentive to throw sand in the gears or not. i believe on the right wing of the republican party, they see that it benefits them politically to keep the focus in washington on the affordable care act and not on another government shut down. they learned that the loft time you. >> ok. >> i think their incentive this time is to keep the trains running. >> thank you. president obama is on his way to south africa to pay tribute to nelson mandela. the president left on air force

one just a few moments ago. president george h.w. bush onboard. president clinton and president cart he are also scheduled to attended the memorial service set for tuesday. george h.w. bush is the only living president who will not be in attendance for health reasons. >> we should point out that this film was personal. it's about your stepfather. he is one of those unsung heroes who we should behind the scene to say free nelson mandela. tell us more about him. >> he joined our family in 1972, and he brought with hill the news of nelson mandela, that was about eight years before the free nelson mandela campaign which launched nelson mandela as

a symbol of the anti apartheid movement. when he went underground when nelson mandela was criminalized, he sent out a generation of people to tell people who was happening in south africa, my step-dad was one of those, the first wave. the second wave was during the sow soweto uprising. they got scholarships all over the world. several went to the united states, they basically tried to tell the world what was going on in south africa. >> i once asked the question why nelson mandela, why south africa, when there were so many

other problems around the world. i was told that south africa was so stark, so black, so white, so easy for people to understand. is that the way your stepfather explained why so many people go ahead involved in the free nelson mandela movement in what appears to be an apathetic world today? >> yeah, i think there's a resonance with what happened here in the united states in terms of segregation and our history of segregation. there was a parallel that happened on the continent in terms of colonialism and going on in the united states in terms of the legends of slavery. i think that ignited the imagination, and it was very stark, so there was a very clear black and white, so to speak, so people wanted justice, and especially coming out at the end of the civil rights movement, a lot of people in the united states were thinking where do i put my energy now.

the idea and the images that were coming out of south africa with rewards to the apartheid movement really ignited their imagination and the passion for justice. >> can't wait to see the film. >> thank you. >> thank you for being with us. the film is the 12 disciples of nelson mandela. it is about the people who were behind the scenes of the movement. here's what we can expect next in south africa. nelson mandela will be laid to rest during the official state funeral taking place in a 10 day period. tomorrow begins the memorial service, open to the public. the government are he can specking 80,000 people to be in attendance there. from wednesday to friday, international visitors will view mandelle la's remains. his body will be taken to the eastern cape where the ruling party will then pay their final respects. sunday, december 15 will bring the 10 day funeral to an end.

dignitaries scheduled to attend, 71 expected to be there. >> at least eight people are dead after a commuter train hit a truck carrying liquid propane in indonesia. that truck was hauling more than 6,000-gallons of propane. police say the train's engineer is among the dead. a passenger said the train used its horn twice before it crashed. all signals were working. it happened near jakarta where two trains collided previously killing all but two people aboard. >> two members of congress are calling for additional safety standards in trains. >> as of this morning, as of this morning's commute, the signal network is upgraded in the air of the bronx where the derailment happened eight days ago. the train was traveling more

than 80 miles per hour as it hit the turn where the speed limit is only third. with this upgrade, engineers get an alert and the train will break automatically if it is speeding inside the curve. >> in the same weekend, funeral services were held for the youngest person killed in the metro north train derailment, two u.s. senators urged the federal government to adopt safety practices to prevent another deadly accident. >> five years ago, the ntsb recommended that cameras be installed in our locomotive cabs both pointing inside and pointing outside. inside to see what the engineer was doing, outside to see if tracks and signals were in good shape. >> since the metro north services both states, new york senator chum schumer and connecticut senator chuck blumenthal wrote a letter urging the f.r.a. to implement the cameras immediately.

this comes after already issuing an emergency record friday requiring metro north to overhaul its signal system as soon as possible. the company must have an extra crew member at the controls on some routes with major speed changes. while the senators acknowledge that's a step in the right direction, they say it's still not enough. this is not the first time there's been a call for cameras on passenger trains. the ntsb suggested the very same safety precaution after a 2008 collision in california. >> 25 people died in that crash. ntsb recommended as a result that cameras and recorders be installed on every train in the country. that would deter the kind of fatigue and daze that produce that had crash. >> the engineer of the new york city crane, william rockefeller reportedly acknowledged he was in a daze as the train

approached a curve in the bronx at triple the speed limit and went off the rails. the crash killed four and injured dozens more. the nta has suspended rockefeller without pay. while these safety procedures will not bring back the four people killed in the train wreck, the senators hope to prevent more families from losing a loved one in this tragic way. >> six months have produced five tragic incidents, including four fates and the time for change is now. >> some union leaders expressed concerns about engineer privacy when cameras were proposed in the past. increased safety procedures continue tomorrow morning when conductors stand alongside operators inside the cab so they can directly communicate about speed limits on certain routes that have potentially dangerous curves. >> thank you very much. >> mark morgan joins us with

sports. week 14 of the nfl, not a good one for my team, but a lot of teams are jockeying for playoffs, not the red skips. >> that's right, dell. we'll not say anything about the redskins. we'll talk about some teams that have been winning. sorry. there were several stellar matchups yesterday. the main one took place in the superdome. the teams tied for the lead at 9-3. the saints very tough at home. quarterback drew brees was in a zone, completing 30-42 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns. brees passed another milestone last night. he became the first quarterback in nfl history to pass for over 5,000 yards. the saints exploded for 21 in the second quarter and never looked back, rolling to a win. new orleans 7-0 this season at home and the saints and panthers have a rematch in two weeks at

charlotte. >> in philadelphia, the eagles and lions battling in the snow, awful conditions. sean mccoy acted like it was 70 and sunny, running for a team report 217 yards on nine carries. the eagles scored 284th quarter points to win going away 34-20. our john henry smith with more from filly. >> after the eagles defeated the lions 34-20, eagles coach kelly admitted that he thought the snow wasn't really going to start until after half time. we were able to see all game long that he needs a new weather person, but also, it appeared that the eagles team themselves did not believe that the game started until after half time, playing sluggish in the first half. the eagles came out blazing in the second half, scoring touchdowns on five straight possessions. the big damage doer in all of

that was la sean mccoy, running for a team record 217 yards against the defense that hadn't given up a rushing touchdown in eight games. >> i think everybody's so intimidated and scared of their guys up front in detroit, i thought the big guys on my team just took a challenge, stepped up. the whole week, they talked about running the ball and giving me different matchups one-on-one. i think not only as myself, but as the backs, we do have more opportunities. we're going to win. >> the eagles go to 8-5 and they take a more commanding position in first place here in the n.f.c. east. the lions fall to 7-6. the chicago bears, the green bay packers would seem to be alive to take the title from the lions. from philadelphia, lincoln financial field, i'm john henry

smith, aljazeera. >> now to the college game where the last two weekends gave us some of the most exciting games of the season and crazy endings in college football history over an upset for alabama. as exspecksed, number one florida say the will face the s.e.c. champion. the b.c.s. title game will be played at the rose bowl in pasadena on monday, january 6. the s.e.c. has won the last seven national tights. that wraps up sports to this hour. >> luck of the tigers. let's sit down with the san antonio four, straight ahead. >> we come as a package. we all go together. nobody is going to stay behind. >> the women talk about living behind bars for 16 years for a crime they say they didn't commit.

>> from our headquarters in new york, here ar

>> welcome back to aljazeera

america. straight ahead, we're going to tell you about four women released from prison after spending 16 years behind bars. they're known as the san antonio four and they're talking about a crime that they say never, ever happened. first, lets find out if all that rain, snow and ice will continue. >> we're seeing improving conditions. we started with light rain earlier this morning around new york city. now more rain is spreading to the d.c. area. we still do have a few flakes of snow coming down across upstate areas of new york in northern new england, but in boston right rain. we'll continue to see weather conditions improve through the day. boston, we do have that freezing rain. it's rain up and down the i-95 corridor. it's going to be a wet go. keep that in mind, possibly going to be storms in the mideast. >> they're known as the san antonio four, four women locked up for a crime they say never, ever happened.

we sat down to talk about them about their release and how they are catching up on lost time. >> butter is good. we didn't of butter in prison like we do here. everything is imitation. >> dinner together at kitchen tail, a luxury after 16 years separated behind bars. >> we come as a package, one goes, we all go together. nobody is going to stay behind. >> that's how it was in 1994 when a 20-year-old elizabeth ramirez, 20-year-old chrissy maw who you, rivera and vazquez were accused of a horrific crime. ramirez's two nieces, ages nine and seven claimed the women had raped them in a tequila fueled other gee while worshiping the devil. the women said the accusations were all lies, masterminded by the girl's father, revenge for ramirez's rejection of the father's advances. >> we knew it never happened.

to clear our name and not be told what they think we are or these monsters that they portrayed us to be, that's not who they are. >> the women were separated by their arrests and could have accepted plea deals to testify against each other. they refused. they say the state targeted them for being les lesbians and capitalized that on the jury. >> we had a preacher and preacher's wife. i never had a chance. >> they were found guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a child. by 1998, the son tone four were locked away. >> we've always been responsible women, you know. we were mothers, we had jobs. we went the to school. things were happening for us and our lives were taken away. >> as the women spent their 15th year in prison, one of the victims recanted, telling the san antonio express news i

can't live my life knowing that four women are sleeping in a cage because of me. >> earlier this year, a doctor with drew her testimony, saying she had been wrong when diagnosing scars on a victims hymen as signs of abuse. now science says a normal hymen may appear scarred. >> this year, a new texas law went into effect allowing state courts to overturn convictions that were based on science that's later debunked, so on november 18, the san antonio four reunited as free women, meeting sandra rivera's granddaughter for the first time and ready to make up for lost time. >> there was, you know, deaths in our family and there was birth, marriages, and just so many things over the years that we've missed. >> the road ahead won't be easy. the women have been released, but not exonerated. there's that legal battle to

fight, jobs to find and lives to rebuild. the four say as long as they stick together, they'll do all that, and more. aljazeera, san antonio. >> more than 2,000 people who were wrongfully convicted have been exonerated over the past two decades. that will do it for this hour of aljazeera america. as always, we hope to have more news for you in just two and a half minutes. you can check us out 24 hours a day for all of those storm outages on aljazeera.com as the icy mess peace to be abating for now, which appears to be the good news weather wise. we'll see you in two and a half minutes.